Kids who went to school in the 70s and 80s remember the Pee-Chee folder. These things were awesome, must-have items like pencils. They had side pockets for holding all your papers, which meant your papers didn’t fall out even if you carried them upside down.

Pee-Chee folders have carried the same illustrations since 1964, depicting people playing sports: football, basketball, skiing, tennis, track, and baseball.

This piece reimagines the Pee-Chee. Instead of sports athletes, it’s role models are the sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll heroes. And it has the same heavy metal stoner grafitti of the era.

You see the coolest thing about the Pee-Chee was drawing all over it and defacing it. This was a place to show off your artistic skills, favorite bands, names of your crushes, hated teachers, and much, much more. Add to that the challenge of keeping this cheap cardboard together for the entire school year with only the aid of tape, and you understand how cool these things were.

This was a breakthrough painting for me. The first one in decades where I was not deliberate and careful with every line. It rocked.

Acrylic, paper, pen, and pencil on canvas board. Measures 26” x 33”.